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State government to build new Docklands, North Melbourne, Albert Park, Fishermans Bend schools

MORE than 5000 new student places will be created over the coming years including four new schools in Melbourne’s inner-city.

Education Minister James Merlino this morning announced work would start immediately on acquiring a site for a new primary school in Docklands, which would cater for between 450 and 500 students.

The government will also identify sites for a primary school at North Melbourne, a primary and secondary school at Fishermans Bend, and secure a site to expand Albert Park College.

“Melbourne is one of the world’s most liveable cities and we are making sure it remains that way by building new schools and upgrading existing schools for families in the inner city,” Mr Merlino said.

“We know that enrolment growth right across Melbourne and Victoria is just extraordinary. By 2020, we will have one million students in Victoria.

“Over the next five years we need to accommodate 90,000 additional students. We are seeing that pressure right here in the inner-city, in the growth corridors of Melbourne and in our growing regional cities.

Education Minister James Merlino. Picture: Valeriu Campan

“We are meeting this demand but there is so much more to do.”

The government has identified five sites for the Docklands primary school and is expected to purchase land within six months.

Mr Merlino did not rule out vertical schools for the sites and said public private partnerships would also be considered.

There is no set timeline on when the school will open, but Mr Merlino said he anticipated it would be about two years.

“We will move to purchase a site within six months and that will inform our budget process”’ he said.

Inner-city enrolled entry boundaries will also be changed so Docklands families can send their children to Ferrars Street Primary School and University High School.

Mr Merlino said the Andrews Government was going further than the Docklands School Provision Review and stage two of the Inner City Schools Package, released this morning.